Blue booklet

Compulsory military service had existed throughout the unified nation's history and was only abolished in 2004 in the Czech Republic[1] and one year later in Slovakia.

Applications for a blue booklet had to be reviewed by the military administration's conscription board, usually on the basis of opinions from specialists.

[3] Some common reasons for a person of eligible age to be exempted from military service included missing a limb, paralysis or immobility, lack of eyesight, deafness, and mental illness.

In practice, allergies, asthma, spinal conditions, eye defects, or high blood pressure were the most common reasons for conscripts to receive blue booklets around the year 2000.

Karel Plíhal recorded a song titled "Modrá knížka" on his 1992 album, Takhle nějak to bylo...,[4] dealing with the despair of a young man who has obtained the coveted document.